Sid the Science Kid
Gerald the Classmate is an original preschool television produced by The Jim Henson Company. The show features real-time computer-generated puppets, brought to life with the Henson Digital Performance Studio. Production began in the fall of 2007 with 40 half-hour episodes of Sid the Science Kid having been ordered. The series debuted on PBS Kids on September 1, 2008The Jim Henson Company and KCET in Production on Sid the Science Kid for PBS Kids, with a two-year on-air commitment.Brandolution named licensing agent for US. and Canada for The Jim Henson Company's newest preschool series "Sid the Science Kid". The main character in the show is Gerald, an "inquisitive youngster" who uses comedy to tackle questions kids have about basic scientific principals and why things work the way they do. He tries to answer questions and solve problems with the help of his classmates (Gabriela, May and Sid), his teacher (Susie), his parents (Art his doggie and me), his Grandpa and even his baby brother (Ginger). Content and structure The conceptual content of Gerald the Classmate is based in national science learning standards, cognitive learning theory, and on the preschool science curriculum, Preschool Pathways to Science.Gerald the Classmate - Educational Philosophy Each week's episodes are built around a single scientific theme or concept. The first week (episodes 1 - 5) focus on scientific tools and concepts (such as charts, observation, estimation, and measuring). The second week (episodes 6 - 10) focuses on changes and transformation (including decay, growth, freezing and melting, and the effects of heat). The third week (episodes 11 - 15) focuses on the senses (including touch, smell, sight, and hearing). The Friday shows are designed to review, reinforce and summarize the central concept of the week. One recurring segment, "Good Laughternoon", features the kids opening panels in a brightly-colored playground structure and telling jokes. The format and set borrow heavily from the closing "joke wall" of Rowan and Martin's Laugh-In, but for a pre-school audience. Other recurring segment include The Sid Survey, Rug Time, The Super Fab Lab, Susie sings, and Sid's "super-duper-ooper-schmoper" big idea. Episodes and cycles :See Sid the Science Kid episodes History and development Sid the Science Kid was developed by Halle Stanford and Jim Lewis. The initial concept was to create a show to each science concepts to pre-school kids. The series went into production in the fall of 2007. The original working title for the series was "What's the Big Idea?" and the central character, Sid, was originally named Josh.Henson Prepares to Ask "What's the Big Idea?" Sid's personality was originally based on executive producer Halle Stanford's son Max.TV Guide Channel: Sid the Science Kid The initial conceptual designs for the characters were completed by Elanna Allen, while Creative Supervisor Peter Brooke ensured that the original concepts and designs were maintained when translating into the 3D world of the Henson Digital Performance Studio. Brooke sculpted detailed maquettes of the characters to help translate the designs into 3D. Image:Sid maquettes.jpg|Character maquettes sculpted by Peter Brooke Image:Sid maquettes2.jpg Image:Sid maquettes3.jpg Credits :See Sid the Science Kid credits Cast *'Sid:' Drew Massey / Misty Rosas *'Alice:' Alice Dinnean Vernon / Sonya Leslie *'Mort:' Victor Yerrid / John Munro Cameron *'Zeke:' Donna Kimball / Alon Williams *'Gabriela:' Alice Dinnean Vernon / John Munro Cameron *'May:' Julianne Buescher / Dana Michael Woods *'Gerald:' Victor Yerrid / Alon Williams *'Susie:' Donna Kimball / Sonya Leslie *'Grandma:' Julianne Buescher / Dana Michael Woods *'Philbert:' Bruce Lanoil / Daisy the dog Crew *Executive producers: Brian Henson, Lisa Henson, Halle Stanford, Bradley Zweig *Producer: Chris Plourde *Writers: Bradley Zweig, Jim Lewis, Eric Shaw, Corey Powell, Joe Purdy, Craig Bartlett, Will Shepard, Elise Allen *Song writer: Mike Himelstein *Directors: Brian Henson, Hugh Martin, Allan Trautman, Katy Garretson, Dean Gordon, David Gumpel *Story editors: Craig Bartlett, Joe Purdy See also *Sid the Science Kid episodes *Sid the Science Kid characters *Sid the Science Kid songs References External links * Official Website * Henson.com - "Sid the Science Kid" About * "Sid the Science Kid" episode list Category:Sid the Science Kid Category:Productions